August 23, 2018 9:00am EDTAugust 23, 2018 9:00am EDTDale Murphy was among baseball's most feared hitters during the 1980s. As Murphy wrapped up the first of back-to-back MVP campaigns, The Sporting News profiled him in its Sept. 20, 1982, edition.(SN/Getty)

EDITOR'S NOTE: No national publication has a richer sports history than Sporting News, which was founded in 1886 in St. Louis and quickly became known as "The Bible of Baseball" for the way it covered America's Pastime. Each Thursday, we’ll dip into our archives and give you a look at the iconic stars who played the game, and the great writers who helped grow the nation’s knowledge of our sport.

Today: Dale Murphy was among baseball's most feared hitters during the 1980s. While millions watched him and the "America's Team" version of the Braves nightly on Superstation WTBS, Murphy often provided a one-man show with his power bat, on-base ability, speed and rocket arm. But it was during the 1982 season that Murphy finally seemed to put it all together after several seasons of uneven play — leading the Braves to a division title and winning the first of back-to-back MVP awards. As Murphy wrapped up that first MVP campaign, writer Tim Tucker profiled him in the Sept. 20, 1982, edition of The Sporting News.

Complete Player: Dale Murphy

Hit, Field or Run, Murf Gets It Done

By Tim Tucker

ATLANTA — In this era of designated hitters and other one-dimensional players, he is among the proud minority. The complete player.

Introductions please.

Henry Aaron: "I'd say he is probably the most valuable commodity in baseball right now."

Lee Elia: "He is the best player I've seen this year."

Frank LaCorte: "He'd probably lead us right into the World Series ... if we had him."

Home run king, Chicago Cubs manager Elia and Houston Astros relief pitcher LaCorte — not to mention the rest of baseball — are all talking about 26-year-old Dale Bryan Murphy of the Atlanta Braves. There is so much to say about him.

You can talk about Murphy the hitter, the National League leader in homer runs and runs batted in most of the season. You can talk about Murphy the fielder, so polished he has been used in all three outfield positions this season. You can talk about Murphy the baserunner, perhaps the Braves' best.

You can talk about his power to the opposite field, about his hitting 12 of his first 28 home runs this year to right. You can talk about his bad experience as a catcher and a first baseman and his discovery as an outfielder. You can talk about Hall of Famer Luke Appling's prediction that, some year, he will hit 70 home runs.

And you can talk about Murphy the person, the deeply religious Mormon.

Woodrow Wilson High Scholl, Portland, Ore. When the Braves selected Murphy in the first round of the 1974 amateur draft, scouts hailed him as the finest catching prospect in America. He spent the first four years of his pro career catching in places like Kingsport, Greenwood, Savannah and Richmond and parts of two season in Atlanta.

Finally, though, the Braves tired of Murphy's rifle arm shooting bullets into center field instead of to second base. After knee surgery in May, 1979, Murphy became a first baseman in name only. He developed a bizarre mental block when throwing and was in an absolute panic when a ball was hit to him in a crucial situation.

"About that time," admits Murphy, now in his fifth big league season, "I really felt a little scared that there wasn't a position I could master."

Spring training, 1980, West Palm Beach, Fla. Playing left field in the first inning of the Braves' first exhibition game. Murphy drifted back for a fly ball, made a smooth catch and threw a strike to the plate, He had found a position he could master.

"By the end of spring training that first year," Bobby Cox, then Braves' manager, said much later, "Murphy had become and adequate outfielder. And within a few months, he had become one of the best in the game."

• Murphy the Hitter: Hitting to all fields and demonstrating improved selectivity at the plate, Murphy has kept his average between .290 and .320 most of the season. Through September 12, Murphy had a National League-leading 106 RBIs (no one else had reached 100 RBIs) and his total of 35 homers was one behind New York's Dave Kingman for the N.L. lead.

This is not the same hitter who struggled so clumsily through the strike-shortened 1981 season (.247, 13 homers, 50 RBIs); this is an even better hitter than the one who batted .281 with 33 homers and 89 RBIs in 1980. He has backed off the plate slightly, increasing his ability to hit inside pitches. He has learned to resist the low-and-away breaking balls. He's gone into a deeper crouch. He's learned to wait.

Montreal coach Billy DeMars, a big league batting instructor for 14 years, says: "Right now, Murphy is swinging perfect, hitting the ball everywhere: to left, to center and to right. Not too many people have the strength to hit the ball out anywhere, the way Murphy does."

It must be pointed out that Murphy has not escaped a slump this season. From late July to mid-August, the Braves lost 19 of 21 and tumbled from first place in the National League West. It was no coincidence that during the Braves' skid, Murphy's batting average fell from .308 to .284.

But from August 19 through September 12, the Braves won 17 of 24 and regained first place. It was no coincidence, either, that Murphy's revival occurred at the same time. In those 24 games, he had 24 RBIs, hit safely in 20 of 24 games and logged and 11-game hitting streak. He batted .330 in that 24-game span and lifted his average to .292.

• Murphy the Fielder: He has played all three outfield positions this season: left field when Brett Butler was in center, center when Butler went to the bench and later to the minor leagues, right when Claudell Washington was out of the lineup. Murphy has the arm for right, the quick jump and long strides for center. In three years as an outfielder, he has misjudged no more than a half-dozen balls.

• Murphy the Baserunner: This may be Murphy's least recognized skill, but he's as proficient in this phase of the game as in the others. By Labor Day, he had 17 stolen bases in 25 attempts. Moreover, he makes a habit of going from first to third on singles, on a team that sometimes confuses recklessness with aggressiveness on the bases, he has perhaps the best judgment of anyone.

"What's really special about him," Aaron says, "is that he knows how to run the bases. He gets up his speed, and he knows what his capabilities are. If he tries for a base, you know he's going to make it."

The most complete player in the league? Murphy's name persistently is mentioned with two others: Montreal's Dawson and Philadelphia's Schmidt. And this season, clearly, Murphy is having the best overall season of the three.

Most Valuable Player? The campaign has started. Atlanta Manager Joe Torre gives this campaign speech: "Aside from being prejudiced because he's one of my players. I don't think anyone could argue with the choice of Murf as MVP."

Phil Niekro, a teammate, adds his endorsement: "If you want my vote for MVP right now, it's Murphy, no question about it. If he keeps going, there is no way anyone can think differently."

Washington, another teammate, says: "He is having an MVP-type season. We are riding on the Murf. Last year, he just sort of waved through the ball. I had the feeling he was hurt last year. Maybe his hand, maybe his back, something. But I never knew that, because Murf doesn't talk that much," (Murphy won't acknowledge any injury as part of his problem last season).

Amidst the accomplishments and the accolades. Murphy remains disarmingly modest. You must heed the words of others. Murphy speaks softly, humbly.

"I've been humbled by this game too many times to get overly excited," he says. "You can't get on a roller coaster. But I've been with the Braves four years, and it's time I start doing what people have been saying I'm capable of doing.

"I really don't pay that much attention to personal stats. Naturally, I want to have a good year, but it won't mean much if we don't win the pennant."

As for the differences between the 1981 Murphy and the 1982 Murphy, as for his sudden propensity for hitting to all fields, he says: "I can't really explain what I'm doing up there. I try. I really do, but it just doesn't seem like you can ever put what goes on in your mind in the batter's box into words."

"Confidence, I guess, is the name of the game. Last year, I didn't really do anything, and it's hard to stay confident when you're not doing anything. I never had doubts about my ability to play the game. I was just not happy, just disappointed about the season I had. If you are out there doubting yourself, you won't be successful."

Off the field, Murphy can only be described as the kid you'd always hoped your daughter would marry. His vocabulary goes to no extremes beyond "gee whiz" and "oh, golly." He doesn't drink or smoke. He often apologizes to reporters for not being "more colorful" in postgame interviews. A National League All-Star outfielder in 1980 and 1982, he always has been an all-star human being. His sincerity cannot be questioned.

"It's nice to be called the All-American boy, but guys have all kinds of images," Murphy says. "I just try to live life the way that is right. I feel everybody has faults, though, and the name of the game is to improve yourself."

"Well," said Joe Torre, manager of the Braves, "you saw Henry Aaron play in Atlanta. He never got the credit he deserved as an outfielder because he did everything so effortlessly. Murphy plays the game the same way. He never makes a mental mistake.

"I don't think he is going to be a superstar. I think he is right now."